[From The Tulsa Daily World, Feb. 4, 1923, Anniversary Section, p. 8]

American chop suey:  Cook three
slices of diced bacon until they are
golden brown and crisp; add one-
half a pound of chopped beef and
one finely-chopped onion, and cook
until the beef begins to brown.  Add
one and one-half cupfuls of thick
stewed tomatoes, one and one-half
cupfuls of cooked spaghetti or mac-
aroni, and salt, pepper and soy sauce
to season.

[note: Chinese food was a novelty, and many recipes sacrificed authenticity to accomodate mainstream American tastes and inability to get ingredients. What the recipes (examples I've found are from the early 1930s) seemed to have in common was chicken or some kind of meat (beef, pork, veal), celery, and onions. Most were overcooked, none quickly stir-fried. There is no mention of garlic, fresh ginger, or sesame oil, and Worchestershire sauce was sometimes substituted for soy sauce! Authentic ingredients that show up include green peppers, mushrooms, almonds, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and "chestnuts" (possibly water chestnuts). One 1934 recipe calls for "Brazil nuts or Jerusalem artichokes."]